The Lived Experiences of Immigrant Arab Muslim Women in the United States: Implications for
Counselors and Other Helping Professionals

Author

En-Nabut, Iman

Document Type

Dissertation;

Abstract

As the demographic landscape of the United States continues to change, counselors along
with other helping professionals are going to be challenged to find ways to meet the varying
personal, social, and academic needs of an increasingly multiracial, multi-religious, and
multicultural population. This study was an attempt to document and explain through an
ethnographic study the experiences of six immigrant Arab Muslim women, ranging in age from
21 to 35, living in the United States. Data were gathered in the participants’ natural setting,
utilizing ethnographic interviews. The general research question was “What are the lived
experiences of immigrant Arab Muslim women in the United States?” Secondary questions were:
(a) How do Arab American Muslim women perceive themselves culturally?
(b) How do Arab American Muslim women describe their specific cultural experiences?
(c) What barriers, if any, do Arab American Muslim women experience in their daily lives?
(d) What do Arab American Muslim women describe as their support system?
And, (e) What are Arab American Muslim women’s viewpoints on seeking counseling?
The findings reveal that the six immigrant Arab Muslim women participants have
difficulty assimilating in a society that differs in values and beliefs from their culture of origin.
From a multicultural and feminist point of view, I found that the experiences of the Muslim
women can lead to a counseling curriculum that educates and informs in-coming counselors and
encourages the seasoned mental health professionals to target their services toward this group.
Support from friends and family or lack there of, played a major role in the women’s integration.
By learning about the experiences in their day to day lives, what they need, how they feel and
react to those experiences, counselors and other helping professionals are more informed and
better equipped to recruit, retain, and assist Arab American Muslim women in counseling.

Access

Unrestricted;

Degree

Ph. D.;

Degree Program

Counselor Education;

Department

Dept. of Educational Leadership, Counseling, and Foundations;

Major Professor

Watson, Zarus

Advisory Committee

Herlihy, Barbara; Paradise, Louis

Date Degree Awarded

2007-05-18;

Format

PDF

URL

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Rights

The University of New Orleans and its agents retain the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible this dissertation or thesis in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. The author retains all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis or dissertation.